RADIO
There used to be these DirecTV commercials of genius-level cleverness that would detail an unfortunate sequence of events a person would go through as a result of having cable. Each plot twist would build upon the prior, ultimately leading to some comedic, yet unpleasant, outcome for said individual. Like there was one where the narrator states, "When you wait forever for the cable guy, you get bored. When you get bored, you start staring out windows. When you start staring out windows, you see things you shouldn't see. (At which point dude sees a guy tossing a body in a dumpster who looks up to see him staring at him.) When you see things you shouldn't see, you need to vanish. When you need to vanish, you fake your own death. When you fake your own death, you dye your eyebrows. And when you die your eyebrows, you attend your own funeral as a guy named Phil Shifley. Don't attend your own funeral as a guy named Phil Shifley. Get rid of cable, and upgrade to DirecTV." This is the stuff legends are made of.
Now I don't know if DirecTV even exists anymore following the acquisition by AT&T -- we've cut the cord and taken the streaming route -- so I'm really not sure if these commercials still exist. I also don't know if DraftKings is of any affiliation to AT&T or, I guess, DirecTV (though this does not appear to be the case based on the DK Wikipedia page). In any case, these two might actually be related without technically being related with me playing liaison. You see, when you play DraftKings, you need to figure out how to afford eight players on a $50,000 salary cap. When you need to afford eight players on a $50,000 salary cap, you make sacrifices. When you make sacrifices, you opt to go with Luke Kornet. When you opt to go with Luke Kornet, you obviously haven't read my article and probably aren't going to win any money. Don't not read my article, opt to go with Luke Kornet, and not win any money.
Per usual, I'll be focusing on the mid-to-lower-priced options here in hopes of providing you those essential lineup fillers needed to optimize your DraftKings lineup. I find no value in detailing the ways in which Kyrie Irving is good at basketball. Should DraftKings not be your thing, Jake has you covered with today's FanDuel lineup picks. Oh, and be sure to take a look at the injury updates prior to the opening tip as I will not be held liable for your negligence in that regard.
DraftKings DFS Guards
Damyean Dotson - SG/SF, at BOS ($4,800)
Fellow New York Knicks guard Trey Burke is dealing with an MCL sprain in his right knee and will not be on the floor for this one. I wish this meant more run for Allonzo Trier, but Burke missed last game as well - Trier played just 15 minutes. The loss of Burke frees up about 21 minutes per game and Dotson has seen a little over 26 minutes of court time over the Knicks last four contests. His playing time looks to be safe at this point barring an injury or foul trouble. The 17.8 points he's averaged over that four-game stretch lead the Knicks, he's shooting a ridiculous 65-percent from deep and has hit at least two threes in each, he's pulled down a minimum of four boards in three of these four games, and he's even added at least one steal in all four. All told, Dotson's last four have seen him put up 29.5 DraftKings fantasy points a game, and while Boston's defense is legit, I like riding the hot hand.
De'Anthony Melton - PG/SG, at POR ($4,200)
Like Dotson, Melton is the likely beneficiary of one of his backcourt mate's misfortune. Devin Booker is set to miss his second straight game for the Phoenix Suns as he deals with a hamstring ailment, and Melton did his best Booker impersonation Tuesday night dropping 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting (3-for-4 from deep) and adding five assists, two rebounds, and a steal across 23 minutes of action. One game is hardly a sample; it'd be a bit naive to assume the 20-plus minutes will be the norm in Booker's absence. However, Elie Okobo hasn't exactly impressed, Jamal Crawford is like 57 years old (though one of my all-time favorite players, no disrespect intended, just facts), and Troy Daniels is merely a shooter. The Suns would be wise to see what Melton can do with continued run after an impressive summer, so the early indications suggest he won't be a one-hit wonder.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Josh Jackson - SF/PF, at POR ($5,400)
Jackson has started three-straight games as T.J. Warren deals with a right ankle injury. I'm beginning to sound like someone who finds pleasure in capitalizing on the injuries suffered by others. For the record, I do not find pleasure in capitalizing on the injuries suffered by others. I do, however, like value. And, while Jackson's salary has seen a drastic spike in relation to his increased playing time -- he's averaging north of 30 minutes over this three-game Warren-less span -- his usage rate trails only Devin Booker among Suns players on the season and he's one of my beloved guys who has an affinity to quietly fill up the box score across the board.
Noah Vonleh - PF/C, at BOS ($5,100)
On a night that will showcase just six NBA teams, identifying players on teams which don't offer the wide public fantasy appeal could lead to a profitable evening. With three of the six teams in action being the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trailblazers, you have to figure a large majority of lineups will be composed of players from those squads. The Utah Jazz can be added to the list as well - just to a lesser extent. Hence the Dotson/Melton/Jackson plug, and hence, yet another Knick. I hate this wholeheartedly by the way.
If my sports fandom has taught me one thing, it's that betting on your team usually ends in a headache as you've now doubled the weight which losing holds. However, Vonleh has put up 11 points and nine boards over his last eight games while compiling three double-doubles and averaging 29.9 DraftKings fantasy points. He's cooled off slightly over his last five, but hasn't pulled down less than four rebounds in nearly a month, and rebounding is not high on the list of Celtics strengths.
DraftKings DFS Center
Clint Capela - C, at UTA ($8,000)
I know, this selection goes against the entire premise of this article. I could've moved Noah Vonleh and his center eligibility here and opted to go with another mid-priced forward. I could've used this space to talk about Jusuf Nurkic who also makes for a decent play. Maybe even Luke Kornet. But, I want to take a moment to appreciate what Clint Capela is doing this season since nobody else seems to care.
Capela scored eight points in the Rockets season-opener against the Pelicans and has not put up a single-digit scoring performance in the 22 games since. He's averaging 18 points, 12 boards, and has 16 double-doubles. The 16 double-doubles are tied for sixth-most in the league with Anthony Davis, and Giannis Antetokounmpo who are both MVP candidates and dominate the words of the talking heads yet seldom are words uttered in regards to Mr. Capela. He's becoming a beast and deserves your attention. That is all. Thank you.
